SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer and their K-9 partner are being credited with finding a hunter who spent more than 24 hours lost in a wooded area in Sumter County.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
According to a report from FWC, the hunter was dropped off on the morning of March 28 along a road in the Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area for a wild turkey hunt.
See a map below:
Other members of the hunter’s party reported him missing at approximately 2:30 p.m. after he failed to return to a designated meeting spot.
READ: ULA sets new date for final launch of Delta IV Heavy rocket
FWC officers joined K-9 units from multiple other agencies in the search, including the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Corrections.
After searching throughout the afternoon and evening, the effort was temporarily suspended until 7 a.m. the next day, according to FWC.
That’s when FWC K-9 Officer Malachi Wilkins deployed K-9 Havoc and began searching from the missing hunter’s last known location.
READ: Former Elevation High student accused of pointing gun at students over dispute with girlfriend
According to FWC, Havoc tracked for approximately a half-mile before finding the hunter sitting on a fallen tree at approximately 9:30 a.m.
The man, who at that point had spent more than 24 hours in the woods, was taken to a check station in the WMA where emergency medical service personnel waited to evaluate him and found no major medical issues.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.